SIGHT ADJUSTMENT AND ZEROING - Civilian Marksmanship …

1 444 Note: This article is one of a series of On the Mark articles on Teaching Rifle Marksmanship to Young Shooters. This article examines the instructional points that are recommended for coaches to use in teaching new shooters how to adjust their sights and zero their rifles. SIGHT ADJUSTMENT or ZEROING is the act of adjusting rifle or pistol sights so that shots fired with them hit the center of the target. One of the most obvious yet over-looked lessons in shooting is that shot groups fired from precisely zeroed rifles produce the highest scores.

2 This should be obvious to all who have even a casual contact with target shooting, but many analy-ses of targets fired by less experienced rifle shooters show that failure to keep their rifles zeroed is one of their most common and costly errors. When to Teach SIGHT ADJUSTMENT . SIGHT ADJUSTMENT , that is, how to precisely zero a rifle and keep it zeroed, is one of the things coaches of new shooters should teach early and well. In fact, if the supported position is used to do introductory or familiarization firing before advancing to the standing, prone and kneeling posi-tions, the ideal time to teach SIGHT ADJUSTMENT is while new shooters are still firing with a support.

3 Accurate SIGHT ADJUSTMENT requires that the shooter start with reasonably good shot groups. That is something be-ginners in standing or even prone may not achieve for some time. Coaches should teach SIGHT ADJUSTMENT while the supported position is still being used and as soon as shot groups are nine ring or smaller on the BMC When coaches teach SIGHT ADJUSTMENT to new shooters, several terms are used that should be explained at the beginning of instruction on this Zeroed Rifle. A rifle with sights adjusted so that when fired with a correct SIGHT picture, shot groups are Windage.

4 SIGHT adjustments that move shot groups left or Elevation. SIGHT adjustments that move shot groups up or Rifle Zero. The windage and elevation settings on a rifle SIGHT that allow it to hit the center of the target when aimed and fired ADJUSTMENT Responsibility. New shooters should learn early that shooters, not the coach, are responsible for keeping their rifles zeroed. One of the outmoded images of junior rifle shooting is where the coach sits behind the shooters with the team s only spotting scope and tells shooters what SIGHT adjust-ments to make.

5 Since direct coaching like this is only allowed in BB gun competitions and during sighters in SIGHT ADJUSTMENT AND ZEROINGBy Gary Anderson, Director of Civilian Marksmanship EmeritusOne of the most common new shooter errors is the failure to correctly zero their rifles. Sporter Class junior competitors fired these two shot groups on 10-bull tar-gets and the Orion Scoring System scored functionality also produced these composite groups showing the centers of the groups as well as their vertical and horizon-tal axes. They illustrate how costly off-center shot groups can move a shot group to the center of the target, the rear SIGHT aperture must be moved in the same direction that the shot group must Clicks.

6 Almost all SIGHT knobs turn in incre-ments called clicks. SIGHT knobs are constructed so that clicks are felt as the knobs turn. Each click moves the rear aperture and the shot group a specific distance on the target. This makes it possible to calculate and make precise SIGHT adjustments. 4. Click Distances. For beginning shooters, SIGHT ADJUSTMENT calculations are easier to understand if they are taught to make adjustments based on scoring ring distances, that is, how far one scoring ring is from the next. If they are told how many clicks of change are required to move a shot group center from one scor-ing ring to the next, it is easier to calculate how many clicks of elevation and/or windage to apply.

7 The chart gives a general guide to how many clicks of change are required for common sights used by beginning determining the number of clicks per ring required for sights that are not shown, you may need to run a test by having a skilled shooter shoot a box from a supported or prone position. Fire shot group must move. If a shot group is low-right, the group must be moved up and to the left so the rear SIGHT aperture must also be moved up and to the left. Conversely, a shot group that is high must be moved down, thus the rear SIGHT aperture must be moved down.

8 HOW SIGHTS WORKA fter explaining defini-tions that apply to SIGHT ADJUSTMENT , the next step is to explain how target sights work. Sights on target rifles are preci-sion instruments capable of exact adjustments that shooters can use to keep their shot groups centered on their targets. Features on target sights that all shooters must be familiar with are:1. Elevation Knob. A round knob, usually on top of the rear sights, that moves shot groups up or down when Windage Knob. A round knob, usually on the right side of rear sights, that moves shot groups left or right when turned.

9 FALL 2011 FALL 2011 FALL 2011555 SIGHT ADJUSTMENT AND ZEROINGS ight Distance Target Scoring Ring Clicks Per Distance - MOA Scoring Ring5 meters10 meters10 meters10 meters10 meters50 feet50 feet10 meters10 meters50 MOAD aisy Gamo, ElGamo TypeSavage MK-IFVTA nsch tz 10-clicks/turnNote: Scoring ring distances are given in minutes of angle or MOA. 10-ring sizes may vary from other scoring ring sizes.

10 The data for the Ansch tz 10-click SIGHT may be used as a guide for other precision sights, but it is best to check factory catalogs for exact shooters need to under-stand how the elevation (top) and windage (right) knobs on their rear sights sold with rifles marketed by USA companies have arrows indicating the direction the shot/shot group will move when turned in that direction. Be sure to look carefully at the SIGHT knobs, however, because some USA sights turn in the opposite direction from other USA sights. Sporter Class air rifle competi-tions, it is clear that all shooters will reach the point where they are on their own when it comes to adjusting sights and keeping their rifles zeroed.